Most families see the fall. Fewer see what came just before it. On the night trip from bed to bathroom, the first sign of trouble is often a pause, not a stumble. She stops at the bedroom doorframe, puts a hand on the frame, looks down at the floor for a moment, and then goes on. Nothing has happened yet. That pause is worth writing down.
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What to watch for, in order
Stand where you can see her go from the bed to the doorway without her knowing you are timing it. Do this on an ordinary evening, not only when you are worried. You are looking for four things, in this order: how long she sits on the edge of the bed before she stands, whether she reaches for the bed frame or the nightstand to steady herself, whether she pauses at the doorframe, and whether her steps get shorter once she is in the hall.
Each one is a small signal. A pause at the doorframe may mean she is checking the light, the floor, and her balance all at once. Shorter steps may mean she is being careful, not that she is weaker. You do not need to decide what it means yet. You need to see it happen, and you need to see it on more than one night.
What to write down
Keep a short note for each night you watch: the time, which stop she paused at, what she held onto, and whether the lamp or night light was on. Write what you saw in plain words, such as: stopped at doorframe, held the frame with left hand, looked at floor for a few seconds. Do not write a judgment such as she is getting worse. A list of observations is more useful to her doctor than a summary, and it is easier to compare across a week.
When to call the doctor
If the pause comes with dizziness, a change in how she talks or thinks, new weakness on one side, or any fall, call her physician that day. Hesitation can have many causes, and sorting them out is a clinical question, not one for this guide. Bring your notes to that visit. The reading path shows where the rest of this desk's guidance on preparing for an appointment sits.
What to do in the meantime
Make the doorframe easier to read before you try to change her balance. Keep the path clear of anything she could catch on, and make sure the light she reaches for is where her hand expects it. Then keep watching. The pause is the early warning. Your job for now is to notice it and write it down, not to guess at the cause.